


Favorite Poison

by Wayhaught_is_my_therapy



Series: Song Fic Verse [4]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bad Girl Nicole, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Kissing, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:29:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29746401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaught_is_my_therapy/pseuds/Wayhaught_is_my_therapy
Summary: Nicole Haught is Purgatory High School's newest leather wearing bad girl, and Waverly Earp's newest girlfriend, except Waverly can't tell anybody that.Because Nicole's bad for her. And she knows it.Not to mention, Nicole has a secret. Waverly knows this as well, but she can't figure out what it is, just that something feels off with the new girl. It's a good thing she's about to find out exactly what that secret is.Based off the song "Favorite Poison" by Fuller
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: Song Fic Verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888723
Comments: 12
Kudos: 132





	Favorite Poison

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I figured in light of all of the 4b hype I would drop a quick little one shot. Hopefully you guys like it, it got stuck in my head one day and now we're here lol. I won't keep you waiting, go enjoy your Wayhaught ;)

The music was pumping in the speakers set up all around the room. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had actually been _good_ music. Waverly wasn’t really a huge fan of ‘top 40s hits. They were all just overplayed songs where you can tell someone just hit shuffle on a pre-made playlist. Also, it was a Sunday night. Waverly was exhausted, not to mention she had school in the morning, and a party is the last place she wanted to be.

However, the place she did want to be was with her girlfriend, who was across the room fetching them drinks. If it weren’t for the leather wearing redhead, she wouldn’t even be here. But she knew this was more Nicole’s scene, and who was she to try and change that?

“Here you go, beautiful,” Nicole shouted over the music as she handed the brunette a red solo cup. 

Waverly smiled back in thanks, taking a small sip from the proffered cup and slightly wincing. God, beer was _not_ her thing. 

Nicole looked at her in worry when she noticed the girl’s reaction. “Everything okay? I can get you something else if that’s not good.”

Waverly shook her head in protest. “No, it’s okay, really. I just don’t drink very much,” she admitted.

Nicole frowned. “Do you want, like, a soda or something?” The redhead offered.

“It’s really alright, I don’t mind,” Waverly smiled reassuringly. The truth is, she wouldn’t mind another drink, but she didn’t want the older girl to think she was lame.

Nicole nodded, slow and skeptical. “Okay… if you’re sure…” she trailed off.

“I am,” Waverly said quickly. She swept her eyes around the room quickly, looking for something that could help her change the subject. When she spotted the floor full of high school students she had an idea. “Dance with me?” she asked suddenly. 

Nicole smirked, glancing down at the girls lips and back up in her eyes. She hovered her face centimeters away from the brunette, feeling cockiness wash over her when she noticed Waverly’s breath hitch slightly at the proximity. “Sweetheart, I don’t dance,” she whispered, moving her hand to sweep caramel locks from the girl's shoulder. She leaned in farther, resting her lips against the shell of the smaller girl’s ear. “But you know what I can do?” she murmured seductively as she pulled lobe between her teeth and bit softly.

Waverly gasped in surprise by the action. “W-what?” she stuttered. She could feel herself becoming increasingly turned on as the redhead released her ear. 

Nicole pulled back and looked into eyes that were darkened by desire. “I can make you scream,” she smirked, winking at her girlfriend and turning to walk towards the staircase.

Waverly shuddered slightly, frozen in place as she watched the taller girl walk away. Waverly knew they weren’t going to have sex. They had only been together a month, and although Nicole teased and joked a lot, she never pushed Waverly into anything she wasn’t ready for. 

Times like this Waverly wondered if she was ready. Cause _God,_ did she feel ready right now. But she also knew that she barely knew the girl. Nicole had just transferred to Purgatory high last month, which is how Waverly met the leather wearing badass. 

No one would believe that Waverly, Purgatory’s sweetheart, would ever be interested in the town's new bad girl, but there was something about Nicole that just drew her in. Something that made Waverly want to give them a shot. Despite that, however, something felt off with Nicole. She was sweet to Waverly; a sweetness that just didn’t line up with the way she acted in front of everyone else. She knew the redhead was hiding something from her, she just couldn’t figure out what it was. 

Waverly was snapped out of her daze when she felt someone bump her shoulder. She looked up and saw a kid she recognized from her grade, but he was too preoccupied with whatever girl he was trying to get to even acknowledge Waverly, let alone apologize. She moved her gaze up the staircase where she made eye contact with Nicole at the top, who had gone from leaning against the wall waiting for Waverly to standing up straight in a protective stance when she saw what happened. 

Waverly shook her head, walking towards the staircase to meet up with the redhead. Once she made her way to Nicole she saw the fire in her eyes. “It’s okay, he barely touched me Nic,” the brunette placated.

Nicole looked over the girl's shoulder at the boy on the lower level, who was making out with some girl against a wall. “Want me to go... _talk_ to him?” she growled; her eyes shooting daggers at the back of the guy's skull. Waverly knew that whatever ‘talking’ Nicole was referring to, words were definitely not going to be a part of it. 

Waverly shook her head, placing her hand on the taller girl’s arm and causing her to look into her eyes. Nicole’s face softened instantly. “No, there’s no point, it was probably an accident anyways,” Waverly soothed.

“Accident or not, he should apologize, it’s called basic human decency,” Nicole retorted.

Waverly nodded her head in agreement. She knew where the redhead was coming from and she also knew she was super protective of her. “Maybe, but regardless he’s obviously not going to, he’s a little busy,” she joked, moving her hands up to the base of the taller girl’s skull. Her fingers threaded easily through short red locks.

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. “Well, I can make him.”

Waverly shook her head and pulled Nicole’s face close to hers. She began to back up slowly, which caused Nicole to place her hands on Waverly’s hips to stabilize her movements. When Waverly’s back hit a nearby wall in a dark, tucked away corner, she smirked. She moved one hand to run her fingers lightly over Nicole’s lips, causing the redhead to slightly open her mouth in arousal. 

“How about instead, we just enjoy ourselves at this party. How does that sound?” Waverly suggested, smirking at the twinkle that appeared in Nicole’s eyes.

Nicole leaned forward slightly, sticking her tongue out to run it slowly over the tips of Waverly’s fingers. “I think I could be okay with that, yeah,” she whispered. She moved forward and closed the distance between them, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss. 

Waverly moved the hand that was on Nicole’s lips to the lapel of her leather jacket. She fisted the fabric and pulled the girl closer to her, causing their bodies to mold together as she deepened the kiss. 

Waverly wasn’t sure if she was going to regret being out this late, but she knew one thing. She _certainly_ wasn’t regretting anything right now.

******  
Waverly ran into the classroom just as the teacher was about to begin her lecture. She gripped her books harder against her chest as she took a seat next to her best friend in the back row. 

“Ahh, Miss Earp, nice of you to finally join us,” Mrs. Lucado addressed from the front of the class.

Waverly blushed and looked down at her books. “Sorry Mrs. Lucado, it won’t happen again.”

The teacher nodded from the front of the class, before turning towards the board to finish writing her notes for the class.

“What the hell was that, Waves? You used to never be late,” Chrissy whispered from beside her.

Waverly shook her head and began copying the notes from the board. “It was nothing Chris, just a long night and I didn’t get much sleep. I forgot to set my alarm this morning.”

Chrissy eyes widened and she dropped her pencil dramatically. “ _You_ slept in??”

Waverly sighed and placed her head in her hands. “Not now, please?” Waverly begged. Chrissy shot her a look, but didn’t say anything else. Mrs. Lucado cleared her throat at the front of the classroom.

“Alright class, now, today we are-” just as she began to speak, the door opened again, however less frantically, and Mrs. Lucado sighed when she noticed who it was. “Glad you could finally grace us with your presence Haught, sit down.”

Nicole walked into the class and haphazardly tossed her books on her desk. She looked over at Waverly and shot her a wink before turning back towards the front. She crossed her arms on the table and placed her head on them like a pillow, obviously paying attention to nothing Lucado was saying. 

Waverly knows she's in deep. She knows Nicole is the _last_ person she should be messing with right now. She knows the redhead’s bad for her. She breaks all the rules she possibly can, drinks, party’s, trespasses. Hell, Nicole pretty much does all the things Wynonna used to do that Waverly would get on her ass for. But for some reason, Nicole doing those things makes her view it all in a different light. And that part scares her. 

She genuinely enjoys the relationship, that is, when it isn’t negatively affecting her life. Chrissy was right, Waverly was never the kind of person to be late to class or party on a school night or sleep in for God's sake. Wynonna was already starting to get onto her for it. Apparently she wasn’t sneaking out of the house as quietly as she thought she was, because last night her sister was waiting for her on her bed with a stern look in her eye.

She got lectured for a whole five minutes about how this behavior wasn’t like her and that Wynonna wasn’t judging her because she had no room to, but that she was just worried about her. Waverly knew she was lucky Wynonna didn’t tell Gus, because that conversation would have gone completely different and would have lasted _much_ longer if she had. 

No one knew about Nicole. Not Chrissy, not Wynonna, no one. She knew they wouldn’t understand or approve of their relationship, and she honestly couldn’t blame them. If the roles were switched, she would probably agree with them. 

Something about being with Nicole makes her feel things she’s never felt before. There’s nothing she could even think to compare it to, except maybe a high. It was almost like a high that she couldn’t get enough of, but the high had her hitting new lows. 

Waverly was starting to fuck up. Forgetting about homework, showing up late, sleeping in, all because of her random late nights with Nicole. The worst part about it was that she didn’t even regret it that much. She loved getting to spend as much time with the redhead as possible, consequences be damned. Although a part of her did feel guilty.

When the bell rings Waverly is already up and grabbing her books in a hurry to leave the classroom. She heard footsteps close behind her by her locker, and when she turned around she was met with her favorite pair of sparkling brown eyes.

“Long time no see,” Nicole smirked. She leaned against the neighboring locker and pulled her phone out of her pocket to scroll through while Waverly collected her books.

Waverly rolled her eyes at the joke. “Right? It’s been forever I can’t even remember the last time I saw you,” she joked back. Nicole huffed a laugh at the girl as she checked her text messages. “How was your nap?”

Nicole doesn’t respond immediately, causing Waverly to look over in confusion. When she noticed the worry on the redheads face as she stared down at her phone, Waverly subtly chanced a look at the device in the girl’s hand. She couldn’t see much of the message sent to her girlfriend, all she could see was that it was long, and started with the words, _‘Have you even told Waverly the truth yet? That girl deserves to know who she’s dating Nicole-’_

Waverly quickly looked up at Nicole just in time. Nicole looked up at Waverly and hummed to answer her earlier question, apparently oblivious to Waverly’s wandering eyes. “Oh, it was great. Exactly what I needed to prepare me for my nap next class.”

Waverly laughed, but it felt forced and hollow. Instead now her mind was racing with the possibilities of what that text could mean and who sent it. _‘She deserves to know who she’s dating.’_ She knew there was more about Nicole that she didn’t know, but she didn’t think it was an intentional secret, she just assumed it was because it had never come up. 

Nicole looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. “You okay Waves?” she asked in concern. 

Waverly shook her head before looking at Nicole and seeing her expression worsen, obviously taking her head shake as a ‘no’. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just uh, just tired.”

“Ahh, makes sense,” Nicole said, accepting the lie. However she still looked less than placated. “Wait, let me take those for you,” she rushed, reaching forward for Waverly’s books. 

Waverly smiled at the redhead as she handed off her books. Nicole was always persistent that she carried Waverly’s books and walked her to class, and Waverly was definitely not about to say no. “Thanks.”

Nicole began walking them to Waverly’s next class. “No problem babe,” Nicole winked. Waverly swore she felt the butterflies in her stomach swarm even more aggressively than the thoughts racing through her head.

*****  
The stars were bright and the air had a slight chill to it, causing Waverly to shiver underneath Nicole’s leather jacket that was wrapped around her shoulders. Nicole wrapped her arm tighter around Waverly’s shoulder when she noticed the shiver and took a swig of her beer. Waverly leaned further into her girlfriend’s side, tilting her head up to get a better look at the stars from their spot in Nicole’s truck bed. 

She was so far lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear Nicole speaking from beside her. Nicole paused halfway through her story and looked over at the brunette. When she noticed the girl wasn’t paying any attention to her, she decided to have some fun. 

“So then I took off all my clothes and ran down the school hallway naked while the rest of the student body filmed it. I even got an award from the principal too. Something about having a ‘top shelf’ ass.”

Waverly whipped her head around so fast she almost collided with Nicole’s face. She looked at the redhead with wide eyes and confusion mixed with shock on her face, what the fuck was going on? “I- what-” she sputtered, causing Nicole to cackle beside her.

“Oh my God, you should have seen yourself,” Nicole laughed. She dramatically wiped the tears from her eyes from her laughter, and Waverly playfully shoved her shoulder. 

“That was _not_ funny, I had no idea what you were talking about,” Waverly laughed next to her. 

Nicole’s eyes sparkled in mischief, but there was an underlying level of worry in her  
Features. “Yeah well, you would have known what I was talking about if you had been listening?” Nicole stated. It wasn’t judgmental and she didn’t even mean for it to be a callout, it was more meant as a question. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” she asked softly.

Waverly sighed and leaned against the taller girl’s side again. Nicole wrapped her arm back around the brunette’s shoulders and placed a small kiss to her temple. Waverly hummed before collecting her thoughts and finally speaking. “Have you ever thought about… I don’t know… settling down?” she asked carefully.

Nicole’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “S-settling down?” she gulped.

“Well, yeah,” she replied nonchalantly. She looked up at Nicole, and based off the girl’s face could tell she had a different meaning in mind. “Oh my God, no, wait, not like that.” Ugh, this was not going the way Waverly had planned. 

Nicole released a breath in relief. “Oh thank God, cause Waverly, I really like you, but I haven’t even turned 18 yet and we’ve only known each other a month, I don’t know if I’m exactly ready for that kind of… commitment,” she finished worriedly.

Waverly laughed at the ridiculousness of the redhead. God she was cute. “No silly, not that kind of settling down.”

Nicole quirked an eyebrow, now trying to determine exactly what Waverly was asking her. “What other kind is there then?”

Waverly sighed. “I- I don’t know. I just…” she huffed. Might as well just put it all out there. “I’m not trying to suggest that you change, that’s the last thing I would ever ask of you. But, I don’t know, don’t you ever get… tired?”

“Tired?” Nicole asked slowly. She still couldn’t understand where Waverly was coming from all of a sudden.

“Yes,” Waverly said, as if she was finally having a breakthrough. “You know, tired of the whole ‘bad girl’ thing? Showing up late, partying, breaking rules, all that?” 

Nicole grew more confused, but not for the reason Waverly thought. “Wait, are you saying you don’t like that sort of thing?” she asked carefully.

Waverly’s eyes widened in fear. Oh shit, this isn’t what she wanted Nicole to think. “No! No, I- I do like you.”

Nicole shook her head slowly, causing Waverly to silence her ramblings. “That’s not what I asked, Waverly,” she spoke softly. “I’m asking, do you not like the whole ‘bad girl’ thing?”

Waverly sighed. She could feel her fear of their impending break up at the forefront of her mind and her heart. No way they were still going to be together by the end of this conversation. The question was, were they still going to be able to be friends, or was Nicole going to hate her. “Honestly? It’s not that I don’t like it Nicole, I just never really imagined myself in this position before. You know, dating the rebel and rule breaker. I’ve always been a rule follower. I’m top of my class, I finish my homework at least a week before it’s due, that kind of thing. And God, I _never_ used to sneak out. That’s more my sister's thing.”

Nicole smiled at the babbling girl in front of her. She placed her hand on top of Waverly’s in between them and let out a long breath, which made Waverly even more nervous. “Thank. God.” Waverly looked up in confusion, noting the soft smile on the redhead’s face. 

“Thank God?” Waverly repeated, slightly offended. Did this mean Nicole was glad they weren’t going to work out or something? Was Nicole looking for a way out of their relationship and she just didn’t know it? 

Was _that_ what those text messages on Nicole’s phone was about? Maybe some other girl Nicole was wanting to get with. Maybe _Nicole_ was wanting to get with some other girl.

The thoughts soared through Waverly’s head faster than she could stop them. However, feeling Nicole’s hand against her cheek brought her back into the present.

“I don’t like it either,” Nicole whispered. Waverly just got more confused. 

It seemed like every piece of dialogue between them brought them one step forward, two steps back. “Okay, I’m really not following here,” Waverly admitted.

Nicole chuckled lightly and sat up straight against the back of her truck. She reached over by her feet and grabbed the six pack of beer, two of which were already opened. One was Waverly’s, which she had hardly touched, and one was Nicole’s, which the redhead had been nursing the whole night. 

She grabbed her own opened beer and dumped it out onto the grass over her truck, causing Waverly’s eyes to widen in surprise. She did the same with Waverly’s, and the other four that were unopened. 

“God, I hate drinking on school nights. And fuck do I really _hate_ beer,” Nicole laughed as she folded the cardboard box that had contained the bottles. 

“Uh, Nicole?” Waverly asked skeptically. This didn’t seem like her at all, and it kind of worried her. Not only that, but it freaked her out a little too. 

Nicole shook her head and placed the now folded box to the side. She turned to face Waverly before she finally spoke up. “I, uh, I have a lot to tell you. About me. And I think now might be the perfect time to do it. All I can hope is that you don’t end up hating me after.” 

Her voice sounded so small, and honestly, Waverly didn’t think she could ever truly hate the girl in front of her, no matter what it was she was hiding. Waverly just gave her a look, urging her to continue. 

Nicole sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She played with the rips in her jeans as she spoke. “For the last month I’ve been… pretending? Oh God, that did _not_ sound great. I mean, none of this is going to sound great, but that just made it sound really bad-”

“Nicole,” Waverly interrupted, placing her hand on the taller girl’s knee. She took a deep breath and gulped. “What have you been... ‘pretending’? Us?” Vulnerability seeped through her voice, making the end of her sentence crack unexpectedly. 

Nicole quickly sat up in panic, catching Waverly off guard. “No Waverly! God, no. You’re the only thing that’s been natural in my life honestly.”

Waverly shook her head slowly. “Okay, then I’m not really following.”

Nicole buried her head in her hands in an attempt to compose herself. Of all the times she had imagined finally doing this, she never thought it would go this way. “This isn’t who I am,” she finally admitted. 

She could see even more confusion appear on Waverly’s face, so she continued to explain. “The night before the first day of school I was on the phone with two of my friends. They said since I was transferring and it was my senior year I needed to be more outgoing, and that I really had nothing to lose. I joked back telling them I could be anyone I wanted to be since nobody would know me, and they dared me to do that.”

Nicole watched as the gears in Waverly’s head started to turn and she started to piece together the puzzle. “They told me that I could be anyone, and when I asked who that would be, they told me I should step outside of my comfort zone. I made a joke, a stupid one now that I look back on it, and told them I should act like a hard, bad girl for the first day,” she sighed. 

“They dared me to do it and started placing bets. By then I was so in deep with them I felt like I had to. I’m not exactly great at telling people no,” she whispered shyly. Waverly smiled softly at the girl in front of her, a girl she hardly recognized, but at the same tell she felt like she had known forever. _This_ was the girl Waverly had started to fall for, and she really had no idea until now. But now that she did, it explained so much.

“Wait, if it was just supposed to be a ‘first day’ thing, why did you keep it up?” Waverly questioned.

Nicole chanced a side glance over at Waverly, but when she didn’t see any disdain, only confusion, she felt safer. “Honestly? You,” she breathed.

“Me?” Waverly asked softly, a question written in her tone. 

Nicole nodded. “Yeah. You noticed me the first day, came up to me and asked me out. I figured you wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t look and act like… well, this,” she admitted.

Waverly’s eyes softened. As dumb as it sounded, she understood Nicole’s worries. They really barely knew each other, and she knew people who had a specific type. Now was probably a good time for Waverly to be honest too. 

“Nicole, I didn’t ask you out that day because of any of that. Actually, I asked you out because my friends told me I wouldn’t.” Nicole looked up at Waverly and saw the fear in her eyes. Fear that she had just had moments before.

“Wait, what?” Nicole could feel the vulnerability as she began to question the last month now. Sure, she was keeping the secret, but what if Waverly was only with her to prove her friends wrong?

Waverly sighed as she began to explain herself. “My friend Chrissy told me I never took risks. She’s not wrong exactly, but I was too stubborn to admit that. You walked through the door and you looked… well, like a risk,” she chuckled. She saw the look in Nicole’s eyes. A look she had just held prior, and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “A risk I’m glad I took,” she whispered.

Nicole closed her eyes and smiled as she felt her chest loosen. “So you’re not mad?” she asked. 

Waverly shook her head and rested her forehead on Nicole’s. “No, I’m not mad. If anything I’m kind of relieved. Now I can finally tell Chrissy and Wynonna about you,” she joked. 

Nicole pulled back and furrowed her brow. “Wait, but you just said Chrissy was the one to tell you to ask me out?” she questioned. 

Waverly shook her head. “No, I said Chrissy told me I never took risks and that I wanted to prove her wrong. I didn’t care if she knew about you, I cared that I knew I did something risky. Plus, it obviously paid off.”

Nicole chuckled and shook her head. “You’re a dork, and that’s ridiculous,” she chortled.

Waverly looked at her in faux offense. “Hey! At least I didn’t keep up a charade for a whole _month_! I mean, did your friends even know you were still doing that?” she laughed.

Nicole nodded her head and smiled at the girl in front of her. “Yeah, actually. In fact, my friend Eliza and I have been talking about it recently. I was planning on finally telling you, and she kept telling me I should. I told her I hadn’t found the right time yet,” she admitted. 

Oh. So _that_ was what the text messages were about. Waverly could feel the relief flood through her veins. As dumb as it sounded, Waverly was just glad Nicole wasn’t sick of her and moving on to someone else. If anything, the texts showed that Nicole cared enough to want to come clean.

Waverly knew she should probably be upset, considering she just found out the person she had been dating for a month wasn’t the person she thought she was. If anything, she felt more relieved. Because now everything was out in the open, and if anything, the girl she had been dating for a month was exactly the kind of girl she could see herself dating for a lot longer. 

Nicole looked down at the blankets laid out in the bed of the truck in embarrassment, a worried look on her face. It was a small action, but Waverly still caught it. “Waverly, are we gonna be okay?” she asked softly. Her voice barely traveled, but Waverly was paying so much attention to her face she heard every word clear as day. 

Waverly scooted closer to the redhead and turned to bury her head in the taller girl’s neck. She breathed her in, sighing at her favorite smell of vanilla. “Of course we’re okay,” she mumbled. She felt Nicole relax against her and wrap her arms around her shoulders in a soft hug. “However, I do want to know more about you. The _real_ you. And no more secrets.”

Nicole smiled against the crown of her head. “No more secrets,” she agreed. “What do you want to know about me?”

Waverly hummed in contemplation before settling on a basic question. “Well, what are you _actually_ like?”

Nicole chuckled against brunette hair as she thought about her answer. “I’m not _that_ different. However I absolutely _hate_ breaking rules. I don’t really drink or smoke or anything like that. Parties aren’t really my thing either, I’d much rather stay home with a book and some music than go out. And holy shit, does this mean I can actually get sleep on school nights??” Nicole perked up.

Waverly couldn’t help it, she lost it. She doubled over in laughter, finding the whole scene incredibly ridiculous. All of the things she had disliked, and Nicole had felt the same way the entire time. The only reason they both kept doing them was because they thought the other person liked it. 

Nicole laughed with her, glad that they were able to finally be with each other as themselves. No false pretenses, no fake personas, just them.

“Yes, Nicole, we can finally get to sleep and make it to classes on time,” Waverly giggled.

Nicole did a dramatic “whew” sound and dragged her hand across her forehead in faux relief, causing the brunette’s giggles to increase. “Awesome. Now I can also stop pretending to sleep in class,” she chuckled.

Waverly quickly looked up, her laughter ceasing. “Wait, you don’t actually sleep in class?” she asked incredulously.

Nicole laughed again, as if that idea were ludicrous based off of the night's events. “Waverly, I have a 4.0. I take notes _extensively_. And I have never once slept in a class. I just made it look like I did and then wrote everything I could remember in my notes later. Just having to be late to them on purpose made me cringe.”

If it were possible for someone to have literal heart eyes, Waverly was pretty sure she would have them right now. God, this girl turned out to be absolutely perfect. Holy shit. 

Waverly huffed out a laugh. “Jesus, where have you been all my life, Nicole Haught?”

Nicole smirked. “The town over?” 

Waverly rolled her eyes. “So I see the real you is just as cocky and sarcastic?” she retorted.

Nicole held her hand to her heart in faux offense. “You wound me, Earp.” They both stayed silent for a minute, daring the other to break their charade. They both smiled and burst into laughter simultaneously.

“So wait, does this mean all your… _‘bravado’_ and all that was fake too?”

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. “Brava- _oh_ \- you mean like, the protectiveness and stuff?”

Waverly nodded. “Yeah, like when you wanted to fight that guy at that party?”

Nicole shook her head. “Nope, sorry, that’s still me.”

Waverly’s eyebrows raised to her hairline in shock. “Really?”

Nicole smiled. “Yep. I’m a pretty laid back person, but I don’t really do well with people who disrespect or hurt others. Especially when I care about them. So yeah, the protectiveness stays… if that’s okay?” she asked suddenly, worried that she might be crossing a line with Waverly and freaking her out.

Waverly smirked back, “I think I can deal with that.” Honestly, she didn’t mind the protectiveness that much. If anything, she kind of enjoyed it. It made her feel important. Wanted. Safe. 

Nicole exhaled in relief. “Okay, good,” she sighed. 

Waverly adjusted herself in the pile of blankets, moving so that she was laying on top of them and looking up at the stars in the sky. Nicole took the hint and followed suit, laying down next to the girl beside her. 

“So…” Nicole started. She could feel her nerves getting the best of her now. She felt naked and exposed now that she couldn’t hide behind the tough bad girl act. 

Waverly looked over at her and moved so that her head was resting on Nicole’s chest. “So,” she repeated. 

Nicole moved her arms to hold the smaller girl, thinking for a moment about how much she loved how well they fit together. “What does this mean for us now?” she murmured timidly.

Waverly turned to look up at the redhead, her chin resting on Nicole’s chest. “I really like you, Nicole. I want to date you for real. Like, we be us, and people know about us, kind of dating.”

Nicole smiled down at the girl, looking into warm hazel eyes as she spoke. “I want that too.”

Waverly smiled at her, never once breaking eye contact. “Good,” she whispered. She leaned forward and connected their lips together in a kiss, but this time it felt different. It wasn’t laced with needy desire and rushed. It wasn’t overly flirtatious and bold. It was soft. Sweet. Passionate. 

It was something Waverly was okay with doing for as long as she could. And luckily, she could tell Nicole felt the exact same way by the way she pulled her body tighter against hers and sighed into the kiss. 

If there was one thing Waverly knew, it was that Nicole was bad for her, even still. It just wasn’t in the same way she used to think she was. If anything, it was because Waverly knew she had it bad for the girl beneath her, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Please let me know what you think in the comments and leave some kudos, they make me super happy!  
> Also, out of pure curiosity, who's gonna be tuning into the Ghost River Triangle Cons fanfic panel?? Personally, I think you should... just sayin... and also, what questions would anyone have that they would want answered on the panel? This is, of course, for strict research purposes only ;)  
> Wanna talk? Here's my twitter!  
> @sydthekid41319


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